Korea's top table tennis player Jang Woo-jin (30, Se-ah, 21st in the world) has made it to the semifinals for the second consecutive World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions season.
Jang Woo-jin beat his senior Lee Sang-soo (35) 4-1 in the men's singles at the WTT Champions Montpellier Arena in Montpellier, France, on the 1st (Korea time) to reach the semifinals.
The best friends who have been in the national team for nearly 10 years and know each other better than anyone else have faced off to the semifinals. After Jang Woo-jin brought one game to 11-8, Lee Sang-soo brought two games back to 11-8, continuing the game score 1-1.
Three games were the match. Jang Woo-jin overturned the game, which was 4-6, and Lee Sang-soo's miss followed, and Jang Woo-jin won 11-7. Jang Woo-jin's backhand, which gained momentum in four games, led 7-3 and 9-4. But Lee Sang-soo didn't give up either. Jang Woo-jin asked for a timeout when he scored three points and chased 9-7. The game score 3-1.4 was Jang Woo-jin's atmosphere, finishing 11-8. He led 8-3 and gained momentum and finished the victory 11-5. He succeeded in advancing to the semifinals for the second time in a row following Macau, the WTT Champions. After the Paris Olympics, Jang Woo-jin, who struggled with a neck injury just before the Asian Championship, returned.
It was meaningful that the last dance of Lee Sang-soo, who became the first Korean male player to be runner-up at the WTT Champions Incheon, and the last stage of the international competition was the quarterfinals of the WTT Champions against Jang Woo-jin, who became the oldest member of the Korean national team. After a heated match, the seniors and juniors warmly hugged each other and showed warm companionship in front of the world's table tennis fans.
In an interview with WTT immediately after confirming his advance to the semifinals, Jang Woo-jin said, `I felt burdened and nervous playing with the same teammate, but I thought it was a game, and Lee Sang-soo is signing autographs to fans now, but Sang-hyung's Montpellier tournament is his last game as a player. I hope you all clap together and say you did a great job"I treated my senior with respect. Asked about his feelings ahead of the semifinal, he said, "I'm grateful that I can show a good game in front of many fans in such a big competition, and I hope you look forward to tomorrow's semifinal."," he said, expressing his imposing determination.
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
